GALBA

SULPICIUS GALBA was a patrician by birth, and one of
the richest men of his day. The wicked Nero was
emperor of Rome when he became a man, and it was under
his reign that Galba was proconsul both in Germany and
Africa. Afterwards he was sent by the same emperor to
govern Spain, and he filled his office so well that he
became very popular. Indeed, he was so just and
merciful that the cruel deeds committed by Nero
horrified him. When Junius Vindex, general of the
Roman forces in Gaul, rose against the tyrant and
encouraged his soldiers to put him down, it was not
difficult to gain Galba over to his side.

Galba mounted the tribunal to announce what he and
Vindex hoped to do, and the crowd that had so long felt
the tyranny of Nero gathered about the speaker, ready
for any change that would offer relief. Galba was an
old man, who inspired respect, and his actions while in
Spain led to the belief that he could never be guilty
of injustice; so the people saluted him as emperor.
This was a surprise to him, for he was not prepared to
take so decided and sudden a step as they supposed; he
therefore refused the lofty title, saying that he
offered himself to the service of his country merely as
the lieutenant of the Roman senate and people.

[453] Nero had paid little attention to the movements of
Vindex; but when he heard that Galba had joined him he
started up, having just seated himself for his morning
meal, and, in his excitement, overturned table, dishes,
and breakfast. Without a moment's loss of time he
assembled the senate and had Galba proclaimed a public
enemy, and offered all his property for sale. Galba
retaliated by selling everything of Nero's in Spain.

Many of the provinces declared for Galba, but two held
out because their governors thought that they had as
much right to succeed Nero as Galba had. These were
Clodius Macer, of Africa, and Virginius Rufus, of
Germany. Clodius had been guilty of so many wicked
deeds that he feared to say what he wanted; for if he
announced his intention to replace Nero, his enemies
might assassinate him. Virginius, who commanded some of
the best Roman legions, had often been urged by them to
take the title of emperor, but he said, "I will neither
take it myself nor will I suffer it to be given to any
person but him whom the senate shall name."

So Virginius and Vindex fought a great battle, in which
the latter lost twenty thousand of his men and then put
an end to his own life. After this victory, Virginius
was again urged to declare himself emperor by people
who said that if he refused they would go over to Nero
again. This so alarmed Galba that he wrote to
Virginius, begging him to join with him in restoring
the liberty of the Romans and preserving their empire.
He then retired to a town in Spain called Colonia.

One evening during the following summer, just after
Galba had gone to bed, a messenger arrived from Rome,
who had made the journey in an incredibly short time,
to inform him that Nero was dead and that the senate
and people of Rome had declared him emperor. Two days
later, Titus Vinius, with many others, came to confirm
the news.

Now Galba began to wonder what Virginius Rufus would do
for there was no man living who had a greater name than
he had particularly since his victory in Gaul over
Vindex. But he had said that the man named by the
senate should be emperor, and, in spite of the entreaties
of his army, he remained firm.

So Galba started for Rome. He was met near Narbo, a
city in
[454] Gaul, by some members of the senate, who begged him to
make haste to appear among the people, who were
anxiously awaiting him. The litter, the decorations,
and the attendants of Nero were sent to him also, but
he preferred to use his own, which was regarded as a
proof that he was above petty vanity.

Vinius, who had been one of the first to announce to
Galba that he was emperor, persuaded him to assume a
more regal appearance and manner, assuring him that he
would make himself more agreeable to the Romans by so
doing. Galba allowed himself to be led in this as well
as in more important matters by this man, who was so
unprincipled and so wicked that he soon ruined himself
and made the emperor hateful to his subjects, as we
shall see.

Galba determined to reform the extravagance that Nero
had encouraged, but in doing so he went to the other
extreme, and acted so stingily as to make himself
ridiculous. He did this with the advice of Vinius, who
was all the time helping himself most liberally from
the public treasury.

Having got the old man completely under his control,
this creature taxed the people just as heavily as Nero
had done, and they blamed Galba for it, though he was
really deceived himself, and made a dupe of by his
ministers. Of course he was by no means blameless; but
he was an aged man, and allowed himself to be led
because he suspected no evil. This was weak, but he
showed himself strong in keeping the soldiers to their
duty,—for they had had great license in the previous
reign,—in punishing those persons who, by bearing false
witness, had caused the death of the innocent, and in
various other ways.

What incensed the people against Galba more than
anything else was that when Nero's ministers were
ordered to execution, Tigellinus, the most infamous of
them all, was spared. The reason for the mercy shown to
him was that he had bribed Vinius with costly presents;
but there was no man in all Rome whom the people were
more anxious to be rid of. They now felt that there was
nothing Vinius would refuse for money, and from that
moment every act of Galba's was misrepresented. If he
was merciful they attributed it to bribery, and if he
was severe they thought it was because Vinius had not
received his price.

The soldiers hated Galba because he refused to pay them
for
[455] extra service, as Nero had done, and dissatisfaction in
every part of the government grew worse day by day.

At last Galba took alarm, and with the belief that he
was despised not only on account of his age, but also
because he had no child to succeed him, he resolved to
adopt a young man of distinction and name him his
successor. Marcus Otho, a very bad person, who had
been a friend to Nero in his pleasure-parties, was the
person Vinius recommended; but while Galba hesitated a
mutiny broke out among the soldiers in Germany, who
proclaimed Vitellius, their commander, emperor.

As soon as Galba heard of this he knew that there was
no time to lose, for he had unwisely made enemies of
his soldiers, and could therefore expect no protection
from them. Some of his advisers had named Otho for his
heir, others had exerted themselves in favor of
Dolabella, so Galba chose neither, but, without
consulting any one, sent for Piso Lucinianus, a young
nobleman of merit, and took him to the camp, where, in
a speech to the soldiers, he introduced him as his
successor to the empire.

Otho, who was present, was in a perfect fury, for he
knew that he had been proposed for the succession, and
the soothsayers had told him that he should be emperor
after Nero. His friends, particularly those who had no
positions to lose, and perhaps much to gain, advised him
to seek his revenge. So he took great pains to win the
good will of the soldiers, and thus to lay a plot for
the destruction of those who stood in his way to the
throne.

Early in the morning of January the fifteenth, Galba
offered a sacrifice in the palace. When the diviner
took the entrails of the animal in his hands, he said
that there were signs of trouble, and that the life of
the emperor was in danger. Otho trembled lest he should
be discovered, but immediately hastened to the spot
where he was to meet the soldiers. Not more than
twenty-three awaited him, but when he appeared they
saluted him as emperor, and carried him through the
Forum towards the camp, flourishing their swords as
they went.

As soon as Galba heard what had happened, he wanted to
go out to the people, but Vinius prevented him from
doing so until one of the guardsmen rushed in with a
bloody sword in his hand, and announced that he had
just killed Otho. "Who gave you the
[456] order?" asked Galba. "My allegiance and my oath,"
answered the soldier, amidst the applause of the
people. Galba then expressed his intention to sacrifice
to Jupiter, and was carried in a chair to the Forum for
that purpose. No sooner had he arrived than the death
of Otho was contradicted. Great excitement prevailed
among the crowd gathered there, some urging Galba to
advance, others to retreat, while his chair was pushed
backwards and forwards, and almost knocked over.
Suddenly a party of soldiers came up, and exclaimed,
"Down with this private man!" while numbers ran about
to get places on the porticos and other eminences, so
that they might enjoy whatever spectacle was about to
be presented. One of Galba's statues was overthrown as
a signal for hostilities, whereupon a shower of
javelins was aimed at the royal chair, and the soldiers
advanced, sword in hand, to complete the work the
javelins had failed in. Only one man in all the crowd
of spectators did honor to the Roman empire that day in
offering to defend Galba. That was Sempronius Densus,
who called out to the soldiers to spare their emperor.
But he was soon brought to the ground, and the royal
chair was overthrown.

"Strike, if it be for the good of Rome!" cried poor old
Galba, presenting his throat to the soldiers. He
received several wounds in various parts of his body,
and when he was expiring, one of the soldiers cut off
his head. It could not be held up in the usual way
because of its baldness, so it was stuck on the end of
a spear, and twirled about for everybody to look at.
When it was presented to Otho, he cried out, "Fellow
soldiers, this is nothing unless you bring me Piso's
too."

Not long after, Piso, who had taken refuge in the
temple of Vesta, was slain, and his head, as well as
that of Titus Vinius, was brought to Otho.

Forthwith the senate was assembled, and the very men
who, seven short months before, had sworn allegiance to
Galba, now swore to be faithful to Otho, and gave him
the titles of Cæsar and Augustus.

Galba's body was carried away and secretly buried in
the night. There were many in Rome who pitied his sad
fate, but none who regretted him as an emperor; for
though he was inferior to few of
[457] his countrymen in wealth, birth, and reputation, he had
allowed himself to be governed by bad men to such an
extent as to render himself obnoxious to his subjects.